Yasmin Williams is an acoustic fingerstyle guitarist known for her unorthodox, modern approach to the instrument. Inspired by artists ranging from Chuck Brown to Jimi Hendrix, she began developing her innovative technique while studying music theory and composition at NYU. Incorporating alternate tunings, percussive hits, lap tapping, and even playing kalimba and guitar simultaneously, Williams expands the sonic possibilities of the acoustic guitar, often adding instruments such as kora, harp guitar, and banjo. Her “radiant sound and adventitious origins have made her a key figure in a diverse dawn for the solo guitar” (The New York Times), and NPR Music has observed that “the joy and possibility she brings to the guitar reminds me more of Eddie Van Halen than any of the other fingerstyle guitarists to whom she’s compared.” Her albums include Unwind (2018), Urban Driftwood (2021), and her latest release, Acadia, out now on Nonesuch Records.

Elizabeth Hendy

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Apr 7, 2027

Yasmin Williams with the Dream Quartet · Cleveland Museum of Art

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